


Nightmares

by mangaobsessed18



Series: Petrathea week 2020 [6]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Doropetra Week (Fire Emblem), F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:14:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23470780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mangaobsessed18/pseuds/mangaobsessed18
Summary: Day 6: FragileDorothea's been having trouble sleeping since the start of the war. Petra finally finds out.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary
Series: Petrathea week 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1682956
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Tw: depression

It was four years into the war. The professor was probably dead. There had not been any sighting since the attack on Gerreg Mach. Now it was fighting just about every other day. Dorothea was exhausted from it all. She had never been happy fighting. She was only at the school to secure her future. She was still working towards that, just a new version. 

If Edelgard accomplished what she wanted and crests no longer mattered, then maybe she would be okay on her own. In that world she might be able to make enough to live happily and not rely on anyone. Marrying rich would still be nice, but hopefully better people would be able to become rich after they won. 

While Dorothea still believed in the world they were trying to create, she was believing less and less that she would live to see it. They were fighting all the time. There had been so many close calls for every one of the Strike Force. Dorothea was so tired of almost dying, of seeing her friends barely hanging on. She and Linhardt had to heal the other members so many times.

There was one fight that stays with her every day. Petra had been taken by surprise. She was trying to help Ferdinand take down an enemy by getting behind them. While she did that an enemy mage got in a lucky shot at her. Petra's scream when the Thunder struck haunted her nightmares. Dorothea managed to get off a Physic in time to save her while Hubert killed the mage. Dorothea herself had an entire battle that she could not remember. She woke the day after and was told that while Linhardt managed to stabilize her on the field he had no spells left to heal her entirely. Apparently Petra had carried her off the battlefield. 

Dorothea had felt horrible after hearing that. She could not imagine how hard the fight was with two members gone. The rest of the Strike Force members all reassured her that no one else had been badly injured. Everyone insisted that they were glad Petra made sure she was safe. She still wondered if they secretly resented her for that battle. 

She tried to let it go, and believe them. Every few days though, the thought would come back and she would have trouble focusing on whatever she was doing. Then there was the guilt over how many people were dying. She had lost track of how many she killed. It was horrible that she could not even remember. She should owe it to them to remember, but there were just too many. 

Sometimes she felt disconnected from the rest of her friends. None of the rest seemed to be upset about all the fighting, except maybe Bernadetta. She was the only one that seemed remorseful about killing so many. 

Dorothea was brought out of her thoughts by the light coming in the window. She had managed to stay up all night, again. It was getting harder and harder to sleep. The few days she had slept nightmares woke her. Sometimes they were of her own death, usually they were of her friends'. 

She tried to remember what she had to do today. If she remembered correctly it was an easy mission. Petra was supposed to go with her to take more weapons to cities by the border. She hoped they had no trouble on the way. She was not sure she had enough energy to handle a fight. 

When they met up Petra was able to tell she was not in the mood for conversation. They sat at the front of the transport carriage, Petra had the reins. Dorothea leaned against Petra to get comfortable. They sat quietly for a long time. 

The next thing Dorothea knew she was suddenly gasping for breath with tears in her eyes. Distiantly she could hear Petra saying something, but she could not focus on it. She tried to focus on her breathing. After what felt like an hour she finally calmed down. She wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to face Petra.

"Are you being ok?" Petra questioned her. 

"Yes, I'm fine now," Dorothea said quietly.

"Are you having certainty?" Petra asked, concerned. "You were being crying in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare?"

Dorothea flinched at the word. She hated that she had them, she felt they made her weak. No one else ever spoke about having them. Dorothea debated lying to her, but decided out of everyone she could trust Petra. Even so she tried to brace herself a little when she spoke again.

"Yes," Dorothea said softly. "I had a nightmare, I have them often. I can't remember this one but they're all the same someone ends up dead, either me or one-" 

Dorothea's voice cracked and she took another moment to compose herself.

"Or one of you," she finally finished.

She waited for Petra to call her weak or scoff at her nightmares. Petra did not do either. Instead she pulled Dorothea into a hug. Dorothea was startled, she had not been expecting this at all.

"I am having sorrow that you are having nightmares too." Petra whispers in her ear.

Dorothea gasped at that, pulling back slightly so she could face Petra. 

"I didn't know you had nightmares." Dorothea said, shocked.

Petra nodded in response. 

"I am having them since I was little." Petra told her. "When I was first being brought here, I was having many nightmares. After a few years they were being less. Now they are being back. I am having many a week. They are being, mostly, of friends being harmed. Sometimes they are being of never going home. I am being scared all the same."

This time Dorothea pulled Petra into a hug. They stayed like that for a few minutes, rubbing each other's backs for comfort. Finally Petra pulled back a bit.

"If you are needing any comfort during the night you can be waking me." Petra promised. 

"Are you sure?" Dorothea asked, uncertain. "If you have trouble sleeping already I don't want to bother you." 

"It is being fine," Petra said. "I am promising."

"If you insist," Dorothea said. "I think that might help."

"Then please be doing so," Petra said happily.

"Are you okay to be continuing now?" Petra asked.

Dorothea had to think for a moment about what they were supposed to be doing. Right the weapons! Dorothea could not believe she had forgotten. 

"Yes, I'm ready, let's go," Dorothea replied.

**Author's Note:**

> Day 6!
> 
> Ended up going with Fragile metal state but I didn't want it to be to dark.


End file.
